Penguins Searching For A “Checking” Center
Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey NOW: The Pittsburgh Penguins need a “checking” center err third line pivot. Now, is the price worth making a deal? Jeff Carter is not the same pivot and some want to move him to the wing. Some candidates out there include Adam Henrique from Anaheim.
He is far from the only target. Nick Bonino makes far less than Henrique (2.05 million) and Pittsburgh’s limited cap space (just $100,000 currently) would not hurt as much. Bonino is familiar and again cost is more effective.
Travis Boyd plays physical enough, but his 45.6% face-off percentage is troubling. His $1.75 million cap hit is reasonable. The market price could eventually be a mid-round pick.
If Jason Dickinson and Eric Staal enter the market, that would heighten Pittsburgh’s hopes. The more demand creates somewhat lower prices due to greater options. Staal comes dirt cheap too as a fallback option. Dickinson’s price tag is higher at $2.65 million but is just 26. Again, Pittsburgh benefits from more choices.
Some San Jose Shark Bites Like Labanc And Karlsson Too
Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News: Now, the San Jose Sharks are getting phone calls all over about Erik Karlsson. How about players like Kevin Labanc? Labanc has 25 points in 41 games. The forward does not seem to be on the market, but would he draw consideration? That’s a great question.
Back to Karlsson. Does this happen in March or the summer? Most experts still say the summer, but do not count out March just yet. Will a team become that desperate? Anything is possible. The Norris Trophy candidate still can fetch a ton even sooner rather than later.
The $11.5 million AAV and NMC until 2026-27 are huge road blocks, but never say never when it comes to the trade deadline.